Our Moments
by staceyyyy
Summary: My collection of one shots. My brain does strange things sometimes - and it results in things like the first chapter. Most will be Olicity Central. Some will be Team central. Prompts are always welcome!
1. Some Things Don't Go As Planned

**Disclaimer - This applies to this chapter and all future chapters - I do not own any part of Arrow.**

The plan was simple enough, to tell the boys they were going shopping and that was that.

But when did anything ever go as planned?

It was five months after "The Incident" (as Felicity liked to call it in her head) with Slade and things were really starting to look up for the team.

A team that had now evolved and expanded.

Oliver had once again regained control of Queen Consolidated after the whole city had found out about Isabel's part in the destruction that had occurred, providing him with the income needed to keep their base of operations up and running without thought to money and expenses.

After the old lair had been compromised and with a few too many people knowing of its location Felicity had found them a new lair, one that she had planned and designed every square inch of. From its state of the art security system designed by her to the world-class training facilities, she had poured her heart and soul into the project. Mostly because she needed the distraction from her own thoughts.

They had never spoken of the conversation they had in the old manor _that_ night, and if Oliver felt that the talk on the beach explained things to her – it didn't. She was even more confused now than she had ever been before.

So she threw herself into creating the best Arrow Cave she could, and if she wore herself out enough in the process to still her mind for a couple of hours at night to lose herself in some much needed sleep, well that was just an added bonus.

With the added space of the new lair came new people that were added to the team.

Laurel Lance was of course one of their newest members, and while Felicity and her never would see eye to eye on everything they were at least starting to get used to each other. Felicity would try to keep her babbles to herself as she saw how much they grated on the other woman's nerves and Laurel in turn refrained from throwing snide comments about the blonde every now and then.

Lyla Michaels however was one addition to the team that thrilled Felicity. While all the male members of their team were nervous to have a pregnant woman around, both because of her safety and because of all the _pregnant_, they didn't have much say in the matter. Neither really stepped up to the plate when Lyla announced she had quit A.R.G.U.S and wanted in Team Arrow. Especially once Felicity had supported the other woman.

And Felicity had been more than excited to have a break from all the testosterone that surrounded her in the form of Oliver, Diggle and Roy.

And the bad guys came and went as the months rolled by and between all the hours that they had been putting into Queen Consolidated and the Arrow Cave she felt like her and Lyla needed a break.

Telling the guys that they were both taking the day off wasn't the problem however.

Telling them that they were going shopping, in broad daylight, a blonde and a seven-month pregnant lady alone without security however? That was when the men formed a solid wall of testosterone and _forbade_ them to go out alone.

Forbidding these two women doing something might not have been the best strategy to go with in hindsight. Felicity had turned around and used her loud voice on Oliver and Roy and Lyla brought out the big gun threats onto Diggle, after which once again the men didn't have much say in the matter.

So here they were, enjoying the freedom of being out in the open, in broad daylight, with the sun shining on their faces as they walked along the street between shops.

The day had flown by with them going into every single maternity and baby shop they could find and cooing over all the cute baby clothes and toys that they found. After their hands were overflowing with shopping bags they decided to call it a day and head for the nearest café. Lyla's appetite was still growing at an alarming rate and Felicity had yet to say no to anything chocolate covered or flavoured.

Their last stop for the day was Starling City's National Bank.

Nothing could have tipped them off to the trouble that they would encounter, for as they stood in the cue to get served seven masked and heavily armed men burst through the entrances.

Pure instincts kicked in for both women as they immediately squatted to the ground and scouted for the nearest exits.

Cursing under her breath, Felicity wondered why she didn't know something bad was going to happen. Surely it had been smooth sailing for way too long?

Her main concern was getting Lyla out of the building but with all the exits blocked all escape routes seemed impossible. Diggle would never forgive her if anything happened to Lyla or the baby.

_She_ would never forgive herself.

Moving her hand into her bag she searched for her phone, unfortunately gaining the attention of one of the masked men walking past. He gripped onto the bag, ripping it from her grasp and throwing it well out of her reach, only to then turn back to her and backhand her across the face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you blondie," his whispered words caused the worst kind of shivers down her spine as she tried to stop her eyes from watering at the sting on her cheek.

He continued on his way, forcing anybody else that wanted to reach for their phones to rethink their actions.

Felicity looked towards Lyla, making sure that she was okay as they crouched to the floor. She studied the other woman's face and thanked every deity out there that Lyla had been trained to handle herself in these situations. The woman was far from panicked and seemed to be more annoyed than anything at this point.

Not for the first time Felicity wondered why she couldn't have that type of confidence and strength.

Around ten minutes later, not that she could have been sure as she never wore a watch and she was unable to look at her phone or tablet, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and she just _knew _that he was there.

Unlikely as it was that he knew they were in the building, she breathed a little easier knowing that as always he had come to the rescue. Her knight in green and leather armour. Not that she'd ever tell him that but that was beside the point.

So it came as no surprise when the glass above their heads shattered and arrows seemed to fly out of nowhere into the masked men. She moved her body over Lyla's, in the hope of covering her from any flying glass or stray bullets that where now being set loose in a rain of fire.

"Shit," Lyla whispered but failed to get the blonde's attention.

"Felicity," Lyla's voice seemed to finally shatter Felicity's concentration on the shooting going on around them so that it could zero in on the woman beneath her.

"Now may not be the ideal time and all, but I think my water just broke".

All Felicity could do was imitate a fish as for the first time in her life she didn't have any words. There was no panicked babble. No inappropriate word vomit. Because really – what could she say at a time like this?

Bad timing? That would be the understatement of the century.

"Okay…okay. Stay calm Lyla. How long do you think you can last? Because our boys are nearly done. Then we'll get you to a hospital. Because I can't really deal with blood or babies or insides of anything. Other than computers, which you know I'm good with…they're my babies after all…"

And there was the babbling, back in full force and inappropriateness.

She ignored the sharp pain that she felt in her right shoulder, writing it off to a flying piece of glass probably cutting her shoulder. She didn't have time for glass or minor injuries.

Once the shooting had stopped she looked up noticing Oliver exiting the building through the roof, obviously not aware of her and Lyla's presence as he made his quick getaway before the police stormed the building. It was a wonder that they hadn't done it sooner to be honest.

Knowing she couldn't yell out his name to get his attention she yelled the next best thing that she could think of. A name that she had given him.

"ARROW!"

She watched as his whole body stilled at her scream, only to slowly move around and search her out with his eyes. While she couldn't see his eyes she knew he was silently praying to have heard wrong, to not have heard _her_ voice.

As soon as his eyes landed on her face he was in motion, speaking softly into what she knew to be the comms that would be connected to Digg and Roy who were no doubt somewhere nearby.

"Call an ambulance, she's in labour!"

He didn't need to ask who was about to give birth, his eyes closed as he spoke to his best friend to call an ambulance for his wife.

They both turned towards the door as it flew open, a swarm of police spilling into the building.

"Go," the single word from Felicity pushed him into action as he climbed onto the roof via the support beams with moves that seemed too easy to the casual observer.

Felicity didn't remember much after that. It was all a blur of police and paramedics.

She had used her loud voice again when they tried to keep a freshly clothed Dig away from Lyla, who was now being carried to the ambulance on a stretcher, but once she had watched the little family as they disappeared in the speeding car she allowed herself a moment to really look around.

Only when the world started spinning did she realize that something was wrong. Warm strong hands had gathered her into the air and then a solid chest right before she hit the ground and it was only when her nose was pressed into the man's neck and the smell of sandalwood and leather intoxicated her senses did she realize just who was carrying her before she allowed herself to pass out.

~:::O&F:::~

"Oliver, don't be stupid! Of course she's going to wake up and be her pain in the ass self again! Stop with the man pain already."

Felicity had never been happier or more confused at hearing the tones of Laurel Lance as she fought the battle for consciousness.

"Guys, shut up I think she's waking up".

Diggle's calm voice always did wonders to sooth her in any situation, even one as strange as this one.

She opened her eyes, only to close them again due to the onslaught of light that attacked her vision.

"What happened?" Her voice was raspy even to her own ears and she was grateful to whoever put the bottle of water and a straw up to her lips. She was yet to open her eyes again.

"What do you remember?" Oliver's voice was soft but cautious and she couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't telling her something. Something important.

"I remember the bank, and the masked guys. And Lyla! The baby! How's the baby? Did she have it? Oh god Dig what happened?" Her voice ended in hysterics as memories of the day flooded back into her mind.

Diggle moved to her other side, the side that wasn't currently occupied by Oliver who seemed to be rooted to the spot. He must have been the one to give her the water then?

"Lyla's fine, our baby girl is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll get to meet Meghan Felicity Diggle very soon".

"No…Digg…what? Oh God I think I'm going to pass out again". She couldn't stop the tears even if she tried.

"Don't think that Lyla didn't notice you using yourself as a human shield for her and the baby. You got shot trying to protect them. You didn't even realize you did get hurt until you got them to safety first. You're amazing Felicity. And I personally wanted to thank you for looking after two of the most important women of my life."

"Digg…I…I don't…I just…" and with that she burst into a fresh new wave of tears, her face buried in the strong chest of John Diggle.

**Hope you guys liked it!**

**LOVE to all - stay safe - Stace - XOX**


	2. Say It Again

She sat on the thirty-first floor balcony on a chair, her body wrapped in a white sheet she had carefully taken off the bed that she had recently vacated. The sheet doing very little to ward off the chill that was creeping in from the cool breeze wafting over her skin like fine silk.

She watched the city below her, the lights that twinkled and reflected off of Starling City's river. The night workmen painting lines on the newly laid road that had just been repaired after Slade's army destroyed half of the city.

Most of Starling's inhabitants were already tucked into their warm beds but sleep evaded her as thoughts plagued her mind and she had moved from the bed long after his soft and even breathing told of deep sleep.

Not for the first time she wondered how she had gotten to this point.

_One minute she sat in their lair listening through the comms to the horrifying sounds of a fight, Oliver's heavy breathing and then gunfire that seemed to rain down. And the next moment she heard nothing. _

_Nothing was worse. Nothing caused her heart to stutter and cold sweat to break out all over her body. _

_Complete and utter silence. _

"_Oliver. Oliver!"_

_She didn't know how many seconds, minutes, days, had trickled past as she repeated his name in vain, hoping without hope to hear his electronically modified voice mollify her and tell her that he was okay. That he was alive. _

"_Oliver! Talk to me! Tell me what's happening, the video feed cut out a while ago and I can't see you! Say something. Anything"._

_She bit back a choked sob as her heart once again missed a beat only to return to its unnatural hammering inside of her chest. _

"_Oliver don't you dare leave me now. Not after everything. Oh God. Why now? Why! And I didn't even get to tell you I love you, you stubborn fool! Say something!"_

_Her voice was beyond strained even to her own ears and she didn't waste energy on stopping the onslaught of tears that were cascading down her face. _

"_Oliver…" she shuddered, "Say something". _

"_Say it again"._

_His voice through the comms made her heart jumpstart again, her brain catching up to the fact that he was alive and from what she could tell safe, at least for now. _

"_Oh God! Oliver your alive! Don't you ever do that again! I nearly had a heart attack. Oh God"._

_She evaded the declaration she had made, clinging to the futile hope that he hadn't heard what she had said in her moments of terror. _

"_Felicity say it again", even through the comms her whole body erupted in shivers at his rough tone of voice. She cursed all the heavens at her luck and him having heard her proclamation. _

"_Felicity", his voice softer now but still imploring her. _

"_Just come home Oliver". _

She had never thought things would go like this, never planned for it to happen the way it did. While sure she had had a million and one fantasies of this happening, none of them ended or started like this reality. And while she had said the three sacred words to him he had never uttered anything to her.

She realised he hadn't said much of anything now that she looked back on the night that she had just had.

And she still couldn't resist him and his pull that made her want, no need, to be the moth that was drawn into his burning flame of passion.

She was helpless to fight it. Not that she put up much of a fight.

As soon as his lips met hers she was lost.

And now here she stood, watching the city below her from the thirty-first level of one of Starling's high-rises.

And even to herself she couldn't admit whether she wanted to escape the bed that was currently being occupied by Oliver Queen or whether she was waiting for his subconscious to miss her presence and awaken him.

Was this a one-time thing?

How could she have been so utterly stupid to tell him how she really felt? But she knew very well why. Because she thought he was dead. Or wounded. Or any other array of horrible consequences that made her brain to mouth filter seize up and utter those words. And then repeat them over and over again to him when he had asked. Or rather demanded.

_He had stormed into the foundry, his eyes seeking hers with an almost desperate need for her. Not that she saw that need in his gaze as she had resolutely refused to look up at him. _

_He stormed in, tilted his head to Diggle so that the older man would take the hint and vacate the building that suddenly seemed too hot for comfort. Too stifled with unresolved feelings and emotions that threatened to consume him whole. _

_He overtook her personal space in a few short strides until she was backed up into her computer table. _

_He was everywhere at once but not really. His form cut quiet the figure in any crowd but here, hovering over her with his incredible height and her lack of heels, she felt every inch of him, even though there was absolutely no part of him that was touching her. _

"_What did you say?" His voice washed over her as she looked down at the cement underneath her feet. _

"_Oliver… I … the comms died and I couldn't hear you and I thought you died…died Oliver!….. I…. I didn't think you'd hear me because you know, I thought you died! And well you might not have liked what I said but you could have just pretended that I hadn't said anythi…" _

_He cut off her impending ramble that threatened to never end as he spoke over her. _

"_What did you say Felicity?" _

_And there it was. The way he said her name pretty much was the warrant that signed her death certificate, or whatever the saying was. Because she would do anything to hear him say her name the way that only he could. Strained and tense as if he was holding himself back, but from what she didn't know. She didn't want to know because opening that set of flood gates could only mean her heart breaking once more. And she didn't think that she could handle more heartbreak from this man. _

"_Oliver… you don't… I don't know… why?" Because that was the real question, why did he need her to repeat those words? Why did he need to know what she had uttered in the moment of weakness?_

"_Say it again". _

_And she saw the pleading in his eyes. Felt the less than subtle demand in is voice. Saw the strain in his whole body. For some particular reason he needed this. She couldn't guess as to the reason why but he did. _

"_I said…I…" _

_She took a deep breath, looking to the floor as she did gathering as much strength as she could, before she continued speaking. _

"_I love you". _

_There was no movement from him at the words. No sound was made. She didn't know how long he stood there, his penetrating gaze making her own body paralysed, any form of movement not even being in the realm of possibility at this stage. _

_Until his gaze snapped away from her and before she knew what was happening she was hauled up into his arms bridal style and carried up the stairs. _

"_Oliver… what are you… what?"_

_The lack of response frustrated her to bounds unknown, until she was very physically dumped into the back seat of his Bentley, he himself getting into the drivers seat and preceded to drive them to God only knows where. _

"_Oliver what the hell is going on? Where are you taking me? And for God's sake what is with the silence?" _

_Her onslaught of questions was only greeted with his stubborn silence and after a while she had given up. Whether she liked it or not she knew that she trusted him with her life and that he would never harm her. At least not knowingly. So she waited until they reached their destination that was an ominous skyscraper in the middle of Starling City. Again the door was thrown open and she was once again hauled up into his arms. _

"_This caveman lack of ceremony is really starting to piss me off Oliver. And what is with the brooding silence? If you didn't want to hear what I said why go through all this trouble? Unless you're thinking of throwing me off the top floor of this building or something. That would explain the silence. Oliver. Say something, say anything!" _

_But her only answer was his piercing gaze as he looked down at her. _

_She wasn't even aware of the process of arriving at the door that they were in front of. She missed the whole elevator ride in her futile attempt to free herself from his vice like grip. _

_Only when they were inside the apartment and the door was firmly closed behind him did her put her down. _

"_Oliver for God's sake! What are we doing here? And why don't I know that you have a spare apartment in Starling? How don't I know that? You've had me monitoring your accounts for two years now and you magically have a free apartment on standby now?"_

"_Felicity," for a second time that night his voice cuts off the ramble that is sure to never end. _

_There it was. Her name again. How he put so much emotion into that one word she would never know. _

_But she would give everything she had in this world to hear him say it over and over again for the rest of her life. _

"_What Oliver? Why did you bring me here? What's the point? If you wanted to let me down easily you could have just as well done that in the foundry. Heaven knows that place has seen enough sexual tension and bone crushing emotions in its lifetime. Not that I'm saying that we have sexual tension. Because we don't. Just you know, with the whole you and Sarah thing that went on, and now that Laurel knows about the lair she's around so it's now the you and Laurel thing so… "_

_Amidst her ramble she didn't notice Oliver moving towards her until her back hit a wall. _

"_Felicity". _

_And that was it. Without a moment's notice his lips crashed into hers in a battle to dominate. To completely devour her. To savour everything she had to offer him. _

_She stood frozen in shock, her mind trying to catch up to the ever-changing scenario's presented to her tonight until her body responded to him, not allowing her mind the time to process what was happening. _

_Her fingers where tangled in his hair before she could even blink. Her hips grinding into his as he gripped her sides tightly before her heart screamed for her to stop before there was no going back. _

_Because there was already no going back. _

Going into the field with Team Arrow was her life choice. Putting her life in danger for the greater good was also her choice.

But loving Oliver Queen was not. She had no say in it. It was irrational and they were unthinkable together but she did, with absolutely every single fibre of her being.

And she couldn't stop it just like she couldn't stop the sun from setting every day.

And she couldn't stop her body from responding to his heat that threatened to overwhelm her and set her up in flames at the same time.

So now she stood, waiting for the man that her life revolved around to wake up. To explain to her what the whole night had been about and what it all meant. Because as much of a genius as she was she couldn't put two and two together.

She looked up from the lights of the city to the twinkling light of the stars above hoping that they would shed some light on where it all went wrong.

What had she done to deserve this? Why did she have to say those three little words that mean so very much to her? The words that spoke of the truth that was in her heart since the very first fateful meeting over a bullet-ridden laptop.

The arms that wrapped around her middle startled her out of her thoughts but that shouldn't have come as a surprise.

His survival instincts were always on without of him even being aware of them and he was against making any noise in any of his movements ever. Especially under the cover of darkness.

"Felicity".

There was no demand in her name this time. His voice was as soft as a whisper in her ear as he lowered his head so that his face was buried in the crook of her neck.

If he noticed her stiffen in his grasp he didn't say anything.

"Oliver. I want you to explain to me what that was. I need you to tell me. Because quite frankly I'm lost. You and me, you said that we were unthinkable. _You_ said that. And now…and now I don't know what to think to be honest…"

In an instant she was spun around so that she was between the balcony railing and his firm body and she couldn't help the thoughts that ran through her mind of him really going all silent and caveman on her tonight.

"For a bloody genius Felicity, you don't see what everybody around you sees. Heck something that everybody that knows me sees. I don't know how you've missed it or how you could possibly doubt it".

"Oliver stop talking in riddles! I can't do this anymore, you cryptic words and touches that result in me being up all night guessing the meaning of each and every one. Why can't you just say what you mean? Because I can't keep trying to read your mind Oliver, I'm not a mind reader", her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, losing steam.

He moved his hands up from their current place at either side of her waist, allowing his fingertips to brush over the skin of her arms and watched as goose bumps rose up in his fingertips wake.

He skimmed over the soft skin of her collarbones until his hands reached his final destination of her face, forcing her gaze to meet his so that she could see the honesty in his eyes. The only truth he had ever known to be one hundred percent accurate.

"I love you Felicity Meghan Smoak".

She looked up at him then.

"Say it again".

And he did, a hundred, a thousand, times that night. Whispering the words into her skin until she was tattooed with their imprint.

Until there was absolutely no doubt in her mind of their validity.

Until he had chased away all her demons and insecurities just like she had chased away his.

He said the words to her that night as he would every night for the rest of their lives.

**This is real life mixed with Olicity - how I spent my Friday night - at three in the morning I actually sat on a balcony on the thirty first level waiting for a guy to wake up. Except of course Oliver Queen was not the guy and I didn't get wrapped up in his arms. Life's painful right? At least I get to write it down and morph it into something better than my reality. **

**Love to all as always - Stace XOX**


	3. Press Play

**Disclaimer - I do not own Arrow. **

It was as if the earth was going to fall and shatter into millions of little flecks and turn to dust if this man in front of her managed to really smile for longer than five minutes.

At least that was usually the case.

His ability to surprise her constantly astounded her. From his unwavering strength to carry on after his mother's murder to the trust he put into Diggle and herself, it seemed to her that he would never seize to overwhelm her with all of his perfect imperfections. They so greatly outweighed his flaws that she couldn't even fathom not being by his side every day as his friend and partner. To quote the man himself, 'There was never a choice to make".

But here he was, leaning against a concrete pillar of their new foundry with the biggest smile she had ever seen plastered across his face.

And this was not his fake playboy billionaire smile that came out in public too often for words. No. This was a carefree and enigmatic smile that she was sure had stopped a slew of hearts in his younger years. Yep, she could definitely see the appeal.

While she understood every grain of pain and misery he went though, and knew of every single weight that he carried on those chiseled shoulders, she wished he would let go of all the pain that she knew was buried deep in his chest away from the casual observer's eyes.

Let go for even a moment so that his heart could ease from its constant heavy burdens.

She didn't miss his struggles, she would always see the man that was fighting for redemption, clawing towards it with every single shred of strength and resolve that he had. And she loved him all the more for it.

Now she pretty much always knew what to expect before coming into their new foundry after a hard days work in Queen Consolidated's IT department. There were usually three scenarios that she could walk into;

Scenario One - The boys could be sparring. Those were the nights that she could 'casually' ogle the _very _male specimens before her as she fought a loosing battle to concentrate on the computers in front of her rather than watch Oliver's back muscles ripple with every movement and strain. Because honestly, she was female and had eyes, and it might have been a very real crime against nature _not_ to look.

Scenario Two – they would be target practicing with either guns, but more often than not, bows and arrows. Those were the nights that she either sat and talked herself into not flinching at every gunshot sound, or was fearful for the life of her babies as Roy tested his aim on yet another moving target.

Scenarios Three – she would walk into a testosterone-overfilled room while they were either in a heated argument over the latest Arrow issue or at opposite ends of the lair, tension and anger radiating from their bodies, causing the air in the foundry to be just a little bit thicker and heavier.

But the sight that greeted her today was something that she had never seen before, and most definitely did not have the mental strength to prepare for.

The vision of Oliver Queen radiating happiness and light for a change was one thing, but watching John Diggle and Roy Harper play fighting over an old school Xbox was what she would have thought to be out of the realm of possibility, the former being too wise and mature for such trivial things and the latter too preoccupied with his image in the eyes of his mentor to even consider it.

And she herself couldn't control her laughter if she tried at the unlikely sight before her. And that sound did what the sound of her high heels on the metal stairs failed to do and alerted the other members of the team to her presence.

Their heads all simultaneously swiveling to her direction with matching looks of adrenaline and fear as if they were about to be chastised by their mother on their faces. As if they had been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.

Ironic and all being that one of them was a street thug and thief in a past life, the second an ex special forces sniper and the third a leather wearing vigilante that may or may not be wanted for treason and murder.

"Having fun without me boys?"

Roy was surprisingly the first to recover, giving her a sly grin in answer.

"I found this dumped in the Glades on patrol last night, thought I'd bring it in and show these two how its done", his grin only widening at his own words and the confidence that bloomed from him.

"You found it or it wasn't permanently screwed onto whatever flat surface it was on making it fair game for you to 'find' it?" her smile making him understand that she was joking.

"Hey! I didn't steal it!"

She shifted her gaze towards Dig, whose fingers where still firmly holding the controller. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding she allowed her eyes to drift to the remaining member of their team, now being less confident in drinking the sight of him in knowing that he was looking straight back at her.

The mischievous glint in his eyes could not be missed however, and she could only wonder what he had up his sleeve.

"What Miss Smoak? Not up for the challenge?" While his tone gave nothing away she couldn't help but feel every single inch of her ignite at the seemingly innocent words.

She was grateful that her foot in mouth disease seemed to be under control when she replied with a simple, "Not a chance Mr. Queen", moving to the couch as she spoke and sitting between the two men currently occupying it.

She could certainly step up when a challenge presented itself.

"So who would like to loose against me first?"

**Guys i can't even begin to thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites so far. Just an epic YOUR THE BESTEST is in order :) **

**- Love to all - Stace **


	4. Curiosity Tortured The Cat

**Disclaimer - I do not own Arrow. **

She knew he was there before she heard him. She knew it was weird and crazy and maybe a little bit obsessive but she just knew when he was in a room, whether it was a room full of people or a vacant lair like now, she always _knew_.

"Felicity where were you last night?" his voice not even startling her as it carried and echoed in the concrete walls that surrounded them.

"Why? What happened? Is everybody okay?"

Felicity's lack of and adequate response to his question didn't go unnoticed by Oliver as he pushed on.

"Everyone's fine I just wanted to know what you where doing that you needed a night off?"

Damn. The man was sure good at guilt tripping her into telling him things.

"I was at home Oliver. I needed a bit of me time".

"No you weren't".

His sure tone made her raise an eyebrow at him after she swiveled in her chair to face him at his position on the training mats.

"How could you possibly know that Oliver Queen", she put as much warning into her tone as she could hoping it would assist in getting an honest answer from him. She wasn't disappointed.

"I went by your place last night while patrolling".

"You went by my place! Oliver that's stalking!" Her voice volume rising with each syllable. "Have you ever heard of privacy? Something that you clearly love when people are trying to get into your business but when it comes to me? NO! Clearly not! I ask for one night off Oliver! One night! And you can't even give me that?"

She took in his expression and it only irked her more when she saw not a single shred of remorse on his annoyingly beautiful face.

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

At his words a bit of the fight seemed to visibly drain out of her and he decided to press the issue again.

"Yes you did ask for a night off but in all your ramblings for that night off you failed to let me know why. And Felicity, that's your tell, that's why me and Digg have been so curious. Because you always share, or over share at times. But not this? What did you do that you can't tell me of Digg?"

And it seriously had been nagging at him.

From the moment she had asked for the night off she evaded any and all questions as to _why _she needed the night of. One of the things that he loved most about her was that she was an open book. She wore her heart on her sleeve, her beautiful face was always so open when she looked at him and she had never lied to him. As so many other people in his life had done. She was the one constant that he could always depend on, the one person he could trust to tell him the truth about any given piece of information, even if she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say.

So her rapid departure and evasion to answer questions set off warning bells in his head that he rather not have to face. She didn't seem scared or anxious when she had left so he guessed that it wasn't anything mortally dangerous, but she definitely seemed more nervous. More jumpy.

And for the life of him he couldn't think of anything that she couldn't say to him.

They had always tried to stay anyway from lies with each other, always spoke the truth or avoided saying anything at all to avoid the lies. Even the 'I love you' incident that had happened in the manor wasn't a lie. And while they had an unspoken agreement to not bring it up or speak of the truth that had soared free for the first time that night, they both knew and recognized it for what it was.

The plain and complicatedly simple truth.

But this was something else entirely and he needed to get to the bottom of this.

He watched as she fought an internal battle in her mind, watched her facial expressions change from anxious to confused and land on embarrassed? Now he definitely needed to find out what was going on with her.

"Oliver its not…I don't...argh. Why can't you just trust me when I say that you don't need to know this little tiny piece of my life? Trust me. You really don't need to know about this" she said it with such finality as if she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to persuade him to drop it.

Nope. That definitely didn't work.

"Felicity…"

But any other words that were about to come out of his mouth where interrupted by the sound of her phone beeping.

His eyes flew from her face to the phone on her desk beside him in an involuntary reaction of awareness that he had honed to perfection over these past seven years.

He took in the picture message that came up on her screen and the name attached to it almost wishing he hadn't.

She on the other hand stood there and cursed the creators of Iphone's and the fact that they thought it necessary to instantly show a preview of what picture a person was sending you.

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to restrain the beast that was threatening to crawl out from inside his chest and rip every male in sight to pieces. He really had to get the possessive streak in him under control he knew, but when it came to her he was a lost cause and he knew it.

"Felicity why…" his voice broke and he could only restart the sentence after he had cleared his throat again.

"Who is Alex and why is he sending you a photo of handcuffs?"

He mentally patted himself on the back for his voice being so stable. The fact that it only worked properly the second time around he chose to ignore.

He searched her face but didn't see the reaction that he expected.

Again, her face flushed red from embarrassment and he would have followed the spread of her blush lower with his eyes if her face weren't also showing a hint of amusement.

Because her eyes sure did shine with a mischievous glint that he couldn't understand but really wanted to get to the bottom of. It was so rare to see this side of her.

"Oliver", she sighed his name with both exasperation and amusement.

"Alex, my college roommate and _girl_friend, and I went to the Sexpo last night. That's why I needed the night off, because she felt the need to drag me to a convention that was literally all about sex. Like stalls and stalls and stages of everything you could possibly think of and then some. Because she thought it would be fun and she thought I needed to see a little bit of topless males around me. Jokes on her right? I work for Team Arrow, I see naked guys all the time. Well not _naked_ naked because I don't see you naked, like ever, but you get my drift. And she bought herself handcuffs. That she felt I needed too. So she bought me some, hence the photo of the handcuffs. And of course I didn't tell you because well, SEXpo…." She finally took a breath and glanced back at Oliver seeing him almost straining himself, but why she didn't know.

Oliver on the other hand was trying to get his mind away from all thoughts that surrounded Felicity and 'sex' and 'naked'.

Okay so curiosity might actually have killed the cat, because this was without a doubt torture. His sweet and innocent Felicity was standing in front of him, having just admitted she now owned _handcuffs _for crying out loud.

He needed to get his thoughts under control if he wanted his body to stop its animalistic reactions to grab her and mark her as his. Or to stop making it very visible to her how on board he was to the thought of her in handcuffs.

And now he was at a loss. He didn't know what to say to her after her little tirade. Should he walk away and pertent this conversation never happened or continue training until he couldn't breathe let alone think of her naked? Walking away might hurt her feelings. Staying in her vicinity might hurt a certain part of his anatomy that was already making his pants feel too tight.

He was saved from making a decision by the sound of the foundry door opening and two sets of footsteps clambering down the metal stairs.

Both Diggle and Roy noticing the tension in the room from the current occupants.

"Great mom and dad are fighting again Diggle!" Roy whisper whined to Digg once he was in Felicity's and Oliver's earshot, knowing very well that they heard him perfectly. .

Digg threw him a lopsided grin, having decided a long time ago that he loved having another person seeing the attraction that was between his partners and felt the need to constantly jab at them with comments. He couldn't be the only one to have all the fun now could he?

He turned to his partners with a knowing look and a smirk firmly planted on his face.

"Oliver, Felicity, try not to fight with the child present and while the foods getting cold!"

**I love this chapter. It may possibly my favourite chapter of anything I've ever written so far. **

**Please review :) - Love to all - Stace XX**


	5. Stairway To Heaven

**Disclaimer - I do not own Arrow. **

Since Oliver bodily protected her from Slade Wilson when the man had invaded their lair, Felicity had begun to notice the trend that had seemed to have developed unbeknownst to her.

The man had literally thrown her over the rail as if she was weightless (she certainly wasn't) and shielded her with his back in a Tarzanesque move that would make most girls swoon (she almost did).

Maybe it haven't started with that particular incident but that was around about the time that she noticed it.

Stairs where apparently their thing. Not a _thing_ thing, but definitely a thing. Not that she minded or anything, she loved those stairs almost as much as she loved the salmon ladder. Not that she could love anything more than the salmon ladder but that really wasn't the point.

The point was the _stairs_.

**~::O&F::~**

The fact that she hardly flinched when she saw him limping down the stairs of the foundry made her realize, and not for the first time, that the man got injured too much. From bullets and arrows to explosions she was _almost _used to waiting for him with medical supplies at the ready each night.

Almost because it tore her in two every since time.

She couldn't stop him from doing what he was doing; she would never dare to even bring it up. This was his mission; his purpose and she would never be the one to pull the rug out from under him.

She would be the one to support and help him in any possible way that she could, even if that involved trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as she tended to his wounds each night. Even if her heart bleed for each and every drop of blood that he lost.

And he needed her now.

She rushed from her spot on the mats, a spot that she had been pacing for the past half hour while waiting for him to return to her, and reached for him, not really sure where to place her hands to avoid causing him further pain but needing to feel his skin all the same to reassure herself that he was here with her.

Alive.

He solved her dilemma almost instantly when he reached for her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, slumping some of his weight onto her, trying to alleviate his injured leg of the pressure, even a little bit.

"Good God your heavy. Not fat heavy mind you, just you know, muscle and everything. Because let's face it your huge. Argh, not huge, well maybe you are I wouldn't know but, okay I need to stop talking about your size and…"

She trailed off as she helped him down that last couple of stairs, wincing for him every time his injured leg took a step.

She briefly had a fleeting thought that they needed to install an elevator in the lair. Situations like this could really use the assistance of a flat moving surface.

**~::O&F::~**

Oliver's heightened hearing picked up on a lot of things that he'd rather wish he didn't hear.

From the sounds of Roy Harper sneaking into his little sister's room in the middle of the night across the hallway to the whispers that were supposed to be uttered behind his back at public events, some things he would rather not know about.

But the sound of her heels on the metal stairs of the Arrow Cave he had learned to crave.

Especially on those lonely nights that he decided to isolate himself in the foundry away from the prying eyes of others. Those nights that he would be training on the mats or hanging up from a ceiling beam, only to be disturbed by the sound of her heels as they echoed throughout the room.

Before she even said anything he would know what mood she was in. Whether she was rushing to tell him something, eager to begin their night's work, tired from a long day at Queen Consolidated or just far from concentrated as she followed his movements with her eyes, he could tell from her footfalls what to expect.

And he loved it. He loved the way she walked, the way she was an open book to him, the way she never hid herself from him, her incessant babbles, he loved everything about her.

And the sound of her heels on the metal stairs of his, nay _their_, foundry made his heart swell inside his chest because she was walking towards him down those steps.

Always to him.

And the sight and sound of that was absolutely music to his ears.

**~::O&F::~**

She was so small.

She fit into his body perfectly and he couldn't help but want to pull her into his chest a little bit more.

It had been a routine mission, nothing should have gone wrong, which then of course meant it did. She was unconscious and on the floor before he even had a chance to help and defend her.

Sure the men that were responsible were chained up to a fence waiting for the police cruiser to pick them up, and sure they had a few more broken bones then when he had found them standing over her body, but it didn't feel like it was enough.

He had wanted to feel the life drain out of their bodies under his hands for even touching her, which is exactly what he would have done if her body wasn't lying lifeless on the floor, and the need to look after her trumped any need to kill the men responsible for her state.

So now he carried her into the foundry, carefully walking down the stairs to avoid any sudden movement or jolts that could cause her any more discomfort even in her unconscious state.

He almost missed a step when her face turned and buried itself further into his neck, her nose and lips unknowingly pressing into his sensitive pulse point.

She would surely be the death of him.

**~::O&F::~**

"Oliver Queen! You are by far the most stubborn man I have ever had the misfortune to meet!"

His only response was to shrug his shoulders as he sat in her computer 'throne' as she called it, and watched her pace in front of him not being able to stay still and in one spot from the anger that was radiating off her.

It was their usual argument, him wanting her to stay as far away from danger as possible, her wanting to be in the very center. They had had this same argument a countless amount of times and he knew they would continue rehashing the issue, both being as stubborn as they were.

"I will not apologize for keeping you safe Felicity".

His voice was soft but her ears didn't fail to pick up on the hint of warning in his tone. It's not like a warning from him ever stopped her before.

"You impossible man! I'm going home, call me when you get your head out of your ass and stop trying to make decisions for me about my life. You should know by now it won't work anyway!"

And with that she stormed to her desk, ripped her belongings off it, and without so much as a glance in his direction turned and stormed her way up the stairs.

He knew she was angry. Knew that he would probably be sorry about it tomorrow. Knew that she'd probably find some way to torture him in the next week. He knew all that.

But for just this moment he couldn't help but admire her as she walked away from him.

The curve of her backside that was blatantly obvious in her grey fitted dress she had chosen to wear to the office today and failed (thankfully) to change out of when she had come down to the lair. The subtle sway of her hips as she moved in her angry haste. The way her heels shaped her calves, making it impossible for his eyes not to be drawn to them.

As cliqued as it sounded even in his own head, he hated to watch her go, but he loved to watch her leave.

He was turning into a sap.

**~::O&F::~**

It was beyond him how this little woman could be so infuriating and adorable at the same time. Surely one should cancel the other out? But it really didn't.

Especially considering the fact that he stood at the very bottom of the stairs and she was two steps above him and _still_ wasn't taller than him. She might have stood a chance in her heels to be intimidating and taller than him but they had long ago been kicked under her desk as soon as she had stepped foot into the lair.

But here she stood, all but breathing fire, ranting on about the latest mission they were about to go on and he couldn't concentrate on anything other than her lips. At which point comes the frustrating part. Because he had no right to be thinking of those plump and bright lips that were beckoning for him to kiss them. Even if they were at the exact perfect level to be kissed. And he probably should be concentrating on what she was saying.

But all thoughts flew out of his head as soon as she took one step down, putting herself further in his line of sight and impossibly close to his body. In all her anger she failed to notice his body reaction to her proximity.

He looked down at her face, admiring the flush that was working its way down her neck.

He unconsciously leaned down closer to her, close enough to count each and every one of her eyelashes. He didn't even know he was doing it, the action almost being an involuntary pull towards her. Only the sound of the lair door opening and Digg's voice being thrown in greeting awoke him from his daze and forced him to spring apart from her.

She in turn looked up startled at the sound and only then did he see the light of recognition in her eyes at their previous position and how perilously close he had been.

She was killing him and she didn't even know it.

**~::O&F::~**

He was quite possibly at his wits end at this point.

She had been missing for three weeks now. Twenty-two days of absolute hell.

When she didn't show up to the office he was worried and when she failed to answer any of his or Diggle's phone calls and texts he went out of his mind.

There had been absolutely no trace of her, no hint of forced entry at her apartment, her car was still parked outside of her complex building, no sign of anything leading to foul play. Absolutely nothing. He had combed through everything he possibly could, but without the knowledge of why they were targeting him through her, or whether they were targeting him as Oliver Queen or the Arrow, he had little to nothing to go on.

He sat in the foundry in the dark silence, allowing the cold to seep into his bones and waiting for a stroke of brilliance to hit him. To finally figure out where she was, who had taken her, why. He didn't bother looking up when he heard the foundry door open; it was no doubt either Diggle or Sarah checking up on him yet again.

Only when he didn't hear the sounds of footsteps did he slowly raise his gaze, perplexed at why whoever was at the top didn't come down.

When he finally saw who was at the top he didn't believe his eyes. Couldn't even if he wanted to. She stood at the top like his very own saving grace and angel, with feet bare and in the same dress that she had worn on that last day that he had seen her and he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't his overeager imagination that was conjuring this breathtaking image in front of him.

He rose, almost as if in a dream and walked to the bottom of the stairs. Only then did she start making her way down, each step only taking a couple of seconds but to him they seemed to last an eternity. He let his gaze wander over her body, trying to find any signs of injury, of pain, when he found none he wanted to cry out in relief.

He didn't know how she had gotten free from whoever was holding her, didn't even know who was responsible for it, explanations would come later. Right now he needed to feel her, touch her, look at her, listen to the rhythm of her pulse and to know that she was here with him.

Alive.

He waited until she got to the second last step in front of him to reach out in a flash towards her, both of his hands circling her waist and lifting her up into the air, twirling her above his head allowing her hands to rest on the tops of his shoulders in their search for purchase. Slowly he brought her down, letting her body drift softly down his and he made a promise to himself that he would never again let go of the woman in his arms.

He was stupid to think that he ever could let her go. She was his angel, his heaven, his light, and his saving grace.

**~::O&F::~**

So yes, stairs were their thing. Because they did had a thing now. And quite honestly she couldn't be happier.

So if anybody ever asked, she had _always_ known that stairs where their thing.

**Hi all you beautiful people - i can't thank you enough for your reviews. They brighten up my day and i look like a crazy smiling idiot when I'm walking and reading them on my phone at work. And for that i thank you :) **

**-LOve to ALL - Stace XOX **


	6. Cats In A Cradle

**Disclaimer - I do not own Arrow. **

"Felicity what is that?" Oliver's voice carried through the foundry, bouncing off the concrete walls that surrounded her. She should have known this was coming, should have prepared herself with a viable excuse at the ready.

No such luck it would seem.

"The new Intel processor you bought for me last week? That admittedly I haven't told you about. But I saw it and couldn't resist so now it's your new gift to me? And I guess thank you?" Her voice was unusually unsteady and unsure and she cursed herself for the lack of confidence. It wasn't that she was scared of Oliver Queen, far from it, but when he got all growly and 'Grr' she couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit intimidated. And let's face it; the man is just a little bit unpredictable.

She heard the huff of frustration from him behind her but she didn't want to turn around and see his face, in the hope or trying to prevent the argument that was about to take place.

"Felicity," he sighed her name, his voice laced with frustration and a hint of amusement before he continued.

"You know very well that's not what I meant, you're free to spend my money however you see fit, and I've already told you that. Not that you needed my permission considering you do it anyway. No, what I meant was what is that?"

She wasn't stupid, she knew very well what he was talking about.

The ball of fluff that was currently sleeping on her rolled up cardigan on the desk couldn't be missed, hence why the kitten was down here in the first place.

Because she just couldn't walk past him on her way from her car into the lair. Her ears had picked up on the sounds of his meowing and she instantly went to investigate, finding the little guy huddled into the far outside corner of Verdant, shivering and hungry. So of course she had to bring him inside, she wasn't cruel after all. And of course she knew that Oliver would have a problem with it. Because how can the big muscley vigilante find a tiny grey kitten cute? His credibility with the criminals of Starling City would be ruined.

She finally swiveled her chair to face him, not failing to miss the surprising look of amusement on his face.

"_He_, not _that_, is the newest member of Team Arrow Oliver. I found him and we are keeping him as the new team mascot, and he'll grow up to be an adult and you can be all fatherly proud of him when he takes after you in the silent jungle cat ninja thing that you have going on".

She said it as if it was final and it took everything in him not to laugh at how adorable she looked.

"Felicity we cant keep _him_, where is he going to live when we're in the office? Or out on missions?"

"Cats are not dogs Oliver! They are perfectly capable of looking after themselves, even if this one is male".

He didn't fail to miss the stab she took at him but he didn't respond, knowing it was just her motherly instincts kicking in when someone, or in this case something, she loved was under attack.

It wasn't that he had a problem with keeping the cat. It was the domesticity that came with an animal that scared him. The lair that they had built was already a home for the team and himself. It was a place for each and every one of them to escape from the burdens of their lives, the burdens of their other identities. It was a place that they could go and be their true selves.

And that in itself wasn't normal. A room with four concrete walls and too much steel to even mention was not a home for people, let alone an animal.

The clanging of feet from the stairs drew their attention away from each other towards the three new occupants of the room, watching as Diggle and Roy, with their arms laden with takeout boxes and bags, and Thea made their way down to join them.

As soon as he heard the high-pitched squeal from his sister he knew this battle was lost.

He knew that he couldn't fight both of them on his own. Hell, even if Roy and Diggle were against it with him they were pretty much powerless to the wants of the female minority of their team.

"Who is this little man?"

Faintly he could hear Felicity mumble something along the lines of "At least someone knows how to talk to animals" and he did his best to suppress a smile.

As Thea lifted the fur ball into her arms and cooed at the now awake creature Felicity moved over to her and started rubbing behind it's ears.

"I found him and decided we need a Team Arrow mascot".

At that Roy gave a snort of laughter, only to be glared down by Thea into silence.

"What are we going to name you little one?" Thea cooed into the kittens fur.

Diggle's 'Roadkill' was thankfully not within the earshot of the two females but Oliver and Roy let out matching coughs of laughter as they evaded each others eyes in the hope of not straight out laughing and giving Diggle away.

"I don't know, I've thought about it but nothing really matches his grey fur. Things like 'Misty' and 'Pebbles' are just horribly plain, 'Shadow' is definitely out for obvious reasons, as is 'Ashes' because who wants to name anything after things that are actually burnt?"

Thea nodded in agreement, deep in thought until; "Cinder?"

Felicity's face lit up, only to be interrupted by Roy's voice.

"Ladies, if we are going to have a cat, which we obviously don't get a say in because clearly its not up for discussion, at least let him have some dignity and give him a manly name!"

"Well Roy Harper what do you suggest?" Felicity challenged with a raised eyebrow.

Clearly Roy hadn't thought that far ahead and looked at a loss for words, his gaze flittering to the other two men in the room in hopes of being recused from the position he was in.

"Storm," came Oliver's soft voice and all heads turned to his direction in a stunned silence.

Felicity beamed at him in response, happy that he was accepting this new development, and turned back towards Thea, taking the kitten out of her arms and held him up to her face; "Well Mr. Storm, welcome to your new home. Your new family."

And not one of the Team Arrow's members missed the underlining meaning that they really were all home, that they were all family.

**Okay guys - I NEED your help :) I am immensely enjoying these one shots but I'm running out of ideas. SO THEREFORE I am asking for prompts. Things that are different and out there and random. I try very hard to make each and every one different genres/feels/team directions/character views/etc. Brownie points to those with the most ORIGINAL ideas :) shout outs will be given to the best ones in the next chapters and stories will be posted as soon as i write them :) **

**As always - thank you so so so very much for the reviews. They are better than chocolate. **

**Love to all - Stace X**


	7. Jealousy

**Disclaimer - I do not own Arrow. **

Every time she walked into Diggle's townhouse she always felt a sense of peace wash over her.

She wasn't sure whether it was the light hum of noise that came from every direction, the smell of a warm home cooked meal about to come out of the oven or just the general feeling of being surrounded by family. She couldn't pin point it but she knew that she loved it.

Her heels clicked on the wooden floors as she let herself in, placing her bag on the entry table and walked towards the direction of the kitchen, only to be sidetracked from her mission by the sounds of feet clambering down the stairs.

"Licity! Licity's here!"

She reached out just in time to catch the toddler who was running at break neck speeds towards her only to pick him up over her head so that she could hear the peals of laughter that she knew would greet her at the move.

"How's my favorite man going?" She asked him as soon as she placed him on her hip and nuzzled his nose with hers. A long time ago she had realized she would never get tired of hearing his chatter and it had been a long time running joke in the foundry amongst Team Arrow that he had inherited his rambling from his Godmother.

She listened to him now as she continued on the way to the kitchen, leaning on the doorframe as she watched Lyla instructing Diggle on exactly how she wanted the vegetables cut. If her eyes got a bit misty at the way Diggle kissed his wife on the nose just so that she would stop nagging him she would never admit to it.

Putting the toddler down she announced her presence; "It smells amazing guys!" both Lyla's and Diggle's heads turned to her instantly and it amazed her how much they had let their guard down over the years. How much the love that surrounded them wore away at their wounds and scars until they could just be here, unguarded and loved.

And it wasn't that they weren't cautious, God knows she herself had installed the best possible security system into all their homes, but they were no longer paranoid at every bump that they heard in the night. She wondered if she would ever feel that.

Diggle came over to place a brotherly kiss on her forehead before softly muttering in her ear, "How have you been?" He, unlike most of the people in her life, knew about the nightmares that had been plaguing her as of late and she could see the concern on his face plain as day. She knew exactly what he was asking but she couldn't honestly answer that question to herself let alone to him.

"Good Dig". She directed her attention to Lyla as the woman stepped into her awaiting arms, feeling as the other woman sagged into the embrace.

"Lyla! I've missed you, how are you feeling? How's the baby?"

"Argh, we haven't slept in about a week, Ciana hasn't been sleeping all that well since we brought her back from the hospital. But she's perfect Felicity. Beautifully perfect".

Felicity took in the older woman, noticing her tired stance, the bags under her eyes, but underneath all that the woman was absolutely glowing with pride with her newborn baby girl.

"And how's Sam going with his new baby sister?"

It was Dig's turn to answer as he turned away from his task of cutting vegetables. "Loves her but isn't the biggest fan of the crying, even though we keep telling him he was worse when we first brought him home," he said with a chuckle as he ruffled said boy's hair who was now standing next to him waiting for his dad to sneak him some food before dinner or before his mother spotted what they were up to.

As if on cue the baby monitor came to life on the bench and Sam's little face adorably scrunched up at the sound.

"I'll get her guys, I haven't seen my goddaughter nearly enough", and with that she moved out of the kitchen and up the stairs in an attempt to give the parents a little break.

She walked into the nursery quietly so as not to startle the little one that was whimpering in the bassinet.

"Why is my little angel crying," she cooed to the baby as she picked her up, looking at her in awe as the baby instantly subdued her cries and clutched at Felicity's locks.

Felicity moved towards the rocking chair in the corner of the room, placing herself in it and making sure the baby girl in her arms was comfortable. "You are precious aren't you baby girl, your mother's right you know, you are beautifully perfect".

Looking down at the miracle in her arms Felicity couldn't help but suppress the wave of jealousy that passed through her, the same wave that had been going through her since she first held a baby Sam in her arms all those years ago. She had long ago resigned herself to never having this for herself, never being able to hold her own child in her arms, a product of true love.

It was clearly never going to happen at the rate that she was going.

The man that she was in love with was never going to let his walls down enough to let her in. And her epically disastrous dating history had proved that she would never find anybody else to live out the dream with. No one liked to be put second to her job. And if she was being honest with herself she never really put much of an effort to make time for them. Why make time for a person when there would never be enough room for them in her life or her heart?

She didn't know how long she sat cooing at the treasure bundled in her arms but it had to be a while if he had come to get her.

"Felicity"

Even after all these years his voice caused a shiver to go down her spine. He was the only person to say her name like that, as if it was a plea and a demand at the same time, for what she never knew.

"I'm coming Oliver".

But she made no attempt to move so he moved closer to her, allowing his hand to reach out so that his finger could first trace Ciana's face and then lower to be grabbed by the baby's exploring fingers in a firm grasp.

"She's perfect".

Felicity almost snorted at his words and how much they mirrored her earlier thoughts. What stopped her was his awe struck tone as he looked at the baby in her arms, only to kneel down in one of his usual fluid moments until he was on one knee next to her to that he could be closer to the baby.

"Do you want to hold her?"

His eyes snapped up to her instantly and she could see the doubt clouding up his vision as he spoke, "I don't think I …"

"Don't be silly, there's no way that you will harm her, you used to hold Sam all the time".

And then she realized her mistake. Going through this with Oliver the first time round, years ago, watching him holding Sam had hurt her more than she would ever care to say. Watching him now with Ciana as he held her as if she was the most precious thing in the world made her feel like she was getting stabbed in the chest all over again. After everything that they have been through, everything that they had shared, she craved this more than life itself.

She wanted him to be holding _their_ baby, cooing at someone that they had made _together_. She had to look away from the pair before she broke down in tears.

Oliver, seeming to notice her preoccupation, moved towards her only to look at her strangely when she took a step back from him.

"Felicity what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything. Actually you know what, that's the problem, 'nothing' is the problem with my life, because 'nothing' will always be the constant, everything will stay the same".

He looked at her in confusion and she couldn't really blame him, she didn't even make sense in her own head.

He took a step to the table, reaching his hand towards the baby monitor and she thanked his ever-awareness that he had the foresight to switch off the device before the whole house heard their conversation.

"Felicity", she cursed that he was never above pleading when it came to her. She was powerless to it and she was pretty sure he knew it.

"Oliver, I'm tired, just ignore me".

"Something's going on Felicity, something's up with you and I have a right to know".

He didn't raise his voice in fear of startling the baby but his tone did change making her aware of his annoyance with her. Which only served to flame the fire building up inside of her.

She laughed but it lacked any humor, it just reflected the pain that she felt, "You have the right? Since when? Since 'I can't be with anyone I truly care about'? Or since you push me away at every single turn? You want to know what's wrong with me? Are you sure you can handle it Queen? Because after this there is no going back. Actually, there might be, because clearly I can take anything you throw at me, fake 'I love yous', years of being your sidekick, all the gorgeous saintly girls you parade in front of me while I can't even look at any other man. And you want to know why? Because since joining you and your little crusade, John from accounting who used to be the hottest thing on the IT level? Well John is just dull. And plain old boring. And Nathan from HR? I used to have a crush on him. Now? Now he's just a bit too chatty for my liking because apparently I'm into guys who are the broody silent type. So what's wrong is that I will never have this, a baby and a family and I'll never actually be loved like I deserve to be, because for me? There is no one else. That's it. Everyone else just doesn't work for me. So there is no white picket fence and two point five kids in my future. And you want to know the worst part of all of that Oliver? I've accepted that fact."

She didn't raise her voice, her tone never even changed throughout the whole ramble, and that cut him more than he could ever explain.

"Felicity, I don't…" but her raised hand stopped whatever words would have fallen out of his mouth next.

"Stop Oliver, don't you dare say 'I don't know what to say' I cant handle that. Lets just go down and have dinner and forget I ever said anything. It's the least you can you for me, forget all of this ever happened. Forget everything I just said."

She turned and moved to walk out of the room when she heard his faint, "Wait…"

Looking back she saw him putting a now sleeping Ciana into her bed, carefully placing a blanket over the baby before moving towards her until he was standing right in front of her.

And that distance seemed like an eternity to him. Because everything in those several seconds came crashing down around him. Because he can't remember why he's still fighting this. Fighting her. Why he had wasted to much time, time that could have been used touching her, loving her, the way that he had wanted to since first meeting her. Since their very first encounter she was the one colorful spot in his life amidst all the grey.

And her words that were just spoken tore down every single barrier he had built between them, crushed every single resolve he had carefully constructed. Because how could she possibly think that he could even look at another woman other than her? He hadn't been with anyone for years, not since he had seen her carrying a new born Sam in her arms, not since that future had been painted in his head unwillingly until it festered in his brain and refused to leave.

With the hope that one-day she would be carrying their child, their son or daughter.

Enough time been wasted.

He knew she dated, he had even hoped she had moved on from him, that she would be on the way to her happy ending, away from him and the dangers of his life. Even though it killed him a little bit inside every time he heard in passing her describing said dates with Diggle, because she thankfully never discussed that side of her life with him.

The fact that she thought she was never getting the happy ending she deserved because of him crushed his soul.

No, enough time had been wasted.

He would do anything in his power to make the woman in front of him happy, even if that meant putting all his doubts and fears behind him and jumping into this head first. Because he couldn't bear to see her shed another tear because of him.

He reached out to her then, placing both hands on either side of her face, bringing her head up so that her eyes would finally meet his. He saw the doubt and the fear swirling in those blue depths and it pierced his heart.

"You are it for me Felicity. There isn't anyone else, there never will be".

She wretched her face from his grasp unexpectedly but she never backed out of the room.

"No Oliver, you can't say things like that to me. You cant say that and expect me to go back to being in the shadows because you don't want me to get hurt or whatever other noble reasons you have that justify everything you do".

She couldn't do this, she had to get out of this room, she felt like the walls were moving in on her, suffocating her.

"Felicity, listen to me. You are it. Let's do this. Anything you want, if you want me, well you've already had me for years. If you want a baby we'll make a baby and it will have your beautiful blonde locks and blue eyes and my stubbornness. If you want to send me to hell right now all you have to do is say no and leave and I'll be there. But I'm in, whatever you want. I'll give you anything you want to make you smile again".

Neither could tell who moved first but in a moment they were a mess of hands and lips. Both desperately clutching at each other, trying to get as close as physically possible, their bodies aching for the contact that had been denied for years.

The sound of a throat clearing from the doorway made them spring apart like a pair of teenagers that where caught by their parents.

"If I knew another baby would get you two crazy kids together I would have knocked up Lyla again two years ago!"

Felicity blushed bright red, too embarrassed to strings words together as Oliver's hand circled her waist and pulled her into his side. Oliver in turn let out a chuckle at the slap his best friend received from his wife at the comment.

"Dinner's ready everyone, now if you'll just let my daughter sleep I wont have to threaten my house guests with an impromptu drone attack on their homes, I do still have contacts with A.R.G.U.S. you know" Lyla said with a smirk.

They all made their way downstairs, Diggle and Lyla in the lead, followed closely by a still blushing but much lighter Felicity and Oliver, whose hand still failed to leave her waist.

Because now he could touch her, now he didn't have to restrain himself or keep the contact to the bear minimal.

From that day on he never stopped touching her the way that they both desperately craved.

**Review you beautiful people :) **

**Love to all - Stace XO**


	8. His Bow Of Choice

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own Arrow. **

It was safe to say that that night had been the worst in her life. From explosions to fake 'I love yous', the death and chaos that surrounded her, it had seemed like her whole world was imploding and crumbling around her. There was only so much pain her heart and body could take and her mind had chosen to take the high road and block out most of the details of that night. It was a coping mechanism of sorts.

Now of course she was paying for those moments of peace her brain had afforded her. Now in the times when she was most vulnerable or alone and left to her own devices, small moments from that night creeped into her brain unbidden and unwanted. Minute details that she had either blocked out or completely dismissed that night.

She was sitting in the new lair a month after that night staring out into space waiting for the guys to come back from their quest for food and her mind drifted across the room, taking in the small details that she would have dismissed on a normal night.

She took in Roy's red jumper, thrown haphazardly across the lounge that she had demanded be put into the lair for when she needed a break from her computers. A smile graced her lips when her eyes reached the TV that sat facing the lounge at Diggle's own demand. Because apparently a lounge with no TV in front of it was pointless. There was little argument from the rest of Team Arrow at that particular demand, all of them could use a distraction every now and then from their abnormally chaotic lives, and a television provided a sense of normality that they were all missing.

Her thoughts moved onwards as her eyes took in the black heels that were under the medical table on the far side of the room. Heels that were definitely not hers. It wasn't that she didn't like Laurel, and it was sort of nice to have another woman around in the testosterone drenched foundry, but there was something about having gorgeous Laurel around that ate away at her. A pain that clawed her chest every time she saw Laurel watching Oliver as he trained. Or when Diggle trained the other woman at hand to hand combat because Oliver flat out refused. She didn't think for a minute that the other woman could replace her in the Team, they filled two very different positions, but she really didn't think that they could ever be friends. Something about two woman that were in love with the same man being friends, that would never make sense to her.

She shook her head in the hopes of dispelling those thoughts from her mind, they had been haunting her for too long in the wake of those three worlds that had succeeded in making her heart soar and shatter in the space of five seconds.

Her eyes drifted to the bow that lay on its stand, almost as if it was positioned to be the centre of the room and everyone's attention.

And a distant memory flashed through her mind of that night. A moment that she had forgotten amongst all the others that had fought for her attention in the past month.

The car crash, being pulled out of the now lopsided van, the small explosion that took out two of Slade's goons.

That wasn't what made her mind to short circuit.

No, it was rather her remembering the fact that Oliver, a man that was always on constant alert, the warrior that had risen out of the ashes of pain and misery to become the hero that he was today, give up his bow to Diggle to free his hands and carry her.

Diggle could have carried her; she was well past the point of acknowledging whose hold she was in at that stage. But Oliver had chosen her. Chosen to hold her in his arms rather than his most powerful weapon, a weapon that was basically an extension of himself.

And that brought on a whole other flood of emotions and questions. What did that mean? What did she mean to him for him to give up his bow for her?

She knew how she felt about him, for god's sakes he had her at 'Hello, my name is Oliver Queen', as much as she loathed admitting it. But this was big, huge, enormous, and now that she remembered that little piece of information she couldn't work her head around it.

There was no way she could ask him about it, the man was all shades of closed off and stoic, no this was definitely not something she could talk to him about.

The sound of footsteps and a door opening distracted her but not enough for the thoughts that were running errant through her mind to be erased completely. Her face must have given something away as Oliver glanced at her with a curious expression that quickly made her school her features.

"Burgers and chips with extra chicken salt as requested Miss. Smoak", Digg's voice cut across the lair and she stretched her arms up reaching for the bags in front of her.

No, she wouldn't talk about the bow thing with Oliver. Their team needed more of this, more normal. Avoidance had always been their thing, why bother changing that now?

**Stay safe everyone - Stace XO**


	9. What Goes Around

**Disclaimer – I do not own Arrow. **

**Full disclosure – I really don't know what happened here. I usually (truthfully always) don't like Laurel. I usually will never justify cheating. I am a die-hard Olicity fan through and through. But this happened and I like it for some very strange reasons that will be disclosed at the end. Enjoy? **

The world around him rumbled as he heard the thunder roar outside of his concrete and metal asylum. He welcomed the chaos that roared outside, hoped that it would banish the thoughts that were consuming him.

The foundry was cold and empty. It was missing the warmth provided by his friend and IT genius Felicity Smoak. It was missing the wise words and comfort that were embodied in John Diggle. And he couldn't be more grateful at this point. He didn't need their pity or their judgment, their understanding eyes or the curious and probing gazes that he knew would be sent his way.

Because twenty-four hours ago he never would have thought he would be here, feeling the cold seep into his very bones as he sat on the dirty concrete floor of the Arrow Cave.

He welcomed the cold. Welcomed the feeling in the hopes of it numbing his thoughts, his emotions, until he was a mass of nothing.

Wishful thinking.

There was no cure to walking into your bedroom only to see your wife of six years in the throes of passion with your best friend.

Laurel and Tommy. Unthinkable right?

But the more he thought on it the more he realized he should have noticed the signs a long time ago, making him wonder exactly how many years ago the affair had started. Because the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this was in no way a one night stand. All the lingering glances that he brushed off to the back of his mind, all the times that Laurel would work late nights when he knew she didn't have any pressing cases, the way Tommy had withdrawn him self from their friendship over the past several months. It was like putting all the puzzle pieces together and the big picture finally made sense before his eyes.

So now he sat in the icy floor trying to catalogue his emotions to get them under control, just like he had learned to on the island. Betrayal. Hurt. Anger. Jealousy. Denial. Confusion. Every single emotion was coursing through him like a knife that was digging its way across his skin.

He buried his face in his hands, willing his brain to shut down.

But images of their faces and the moments that they had had throughout his life flashed before his eyes in full force every single time he allowed his eyes to close.

Laurel walking down the isle to him, her white gown hugging all the right curves as she looked up at him through her veil.

Tommy finding him sitting in a gutter outside a nightclub after a particularly wild night only to sit right down beside him without a care in the world to his Armani suit that would have cost more than what the average person made in a month.

Laurel in the early days of their marriage staying up every night until he got home from the office, refusing point blank to go to sleep without him next to her.

Tommy helping him choose the perfect engagement ring as he stood practically shaking with nerves in the jewelry shop.

There was countless moments, a never ending kaleidoscope of snapshots that had haunted him since seeing them together, in his house, in his bed, on the sheets that he had slept on with that same woman by his side every night.

The sound of heels coming down the stairs made him groan silently, almost wishing that she didn't see him sitting in the corner.

Obvious the fates hated him today.

"Oliver! What's wrong? I came here to check on the computer updates and I thought you took the afternoon off from the office to go see Laurel and surprise her? Please tell me you didn't go and do Arrowy things by yourself and something went wrong? Or did you go with back up? Oh my God! Did something happen? Where's Digg? Roy? Oliver! Say something! For the love of…"

"Everybody is fine Felicity". Even he was surprised at how calm his voice sounded when he felt like a volcano was ready to explode inside of him. "Everybody is just brilliant."

She looked at him then, her blue eyes taking stock of his appearance until her penetrating gaze drifted back up to his eyes. She moved closer to him then, her steps slow as if she was moving towards a particularly vicious animal that she didn't want to frighten but needed to comfort all the same. He thought that the vicious animal simile was pretty close to the truth at the moment.

She bent her legs, coming down onto her knees until her face was close to his, one of her hands drifting to his shoulders and he knew from the look on her face that it was an unconscious gesture. An action she didn't even know she was making.

"Oliver what happened between now and the office?"

But he couldn't face it, couldn't stand to see the look of pity in her azure eyes, which is exactly what he knew he would get. So he stood up roughly, missing her form by mere millimeters in his haste to get away from her.

"Nothing Felicity, I'm fine. I'm heading out to get some air, feel free to have the night off from the Arrow, you can pass the message onto Digg and Roy too". And with that he was done, striding towards the stairs and his escape with all the determination that he had left in his body.

He should have known never to underestimate Felicity Smoak. He should have known that she was the most unpredictable variable in his life.

Her voice and words stopped him with the tone alone.

"Oliver Queen. You will not walk away from me. We are partners but more importantly we are friends. I've known you for five years now and God knows we've been through hell and back so you will NOT walk away from me right now until you tell me what is going on in that head of yours. We can fix it, whatever it is we can fix it together. And I can almost guarantee that whatever it is, we've faced problems of a much bigger scale. And we've come out on the other side still kicking." She would have continued with her speech had his humorless chuckle not interrupted her.

"Even you can't fix what was broken a long time ago. This is not something you can hack into and repair. Yes I went home early to surprise Laurel. But turns out, she's so much better at surprises than I am. And so is Tommy for that matter".

He looked up at her then, seeing the confusion swimming in her eyes as he continued. Once he had started it was hard to stop.

"I came home and found them, together, in my bed wrapped up in each other until you couldn't distinguish where one ended and the other began. And they didn't even hear me".

Her whole face changed with this new peace of information, her mind working a million miles per hour as she digested the facts that he had just spilled.

The only thing that he had gotten right tonight was the fact that she was unpredictable. Because he didn't get pity. He didn't get comfort. He got the cold hard truth and a reality wake up call that had been long overdue.

"So that's what this pity party was about then?" she gestured towards his general direction and he staggered back a step at her reaction, his own mind not comprehending the woman before him.

"What?"

"This pity party, the whole I'm a brooding billionaire vigilante, I save the city at night but no one appreciates me and my wife just cheated on me with my best friend poor me thing you have going on?"

"Pity party? For fucks sake Felicity I just told you that my wife is cheating on me with my best friend and you think I'm having a pity party? What is wrong with you?" Now he was just angry. And confused. Because her words weren't making any sense.

Until once again she shocked him to his core. As only she had the knack to rattle his world until he no longer knew which way was up and which way was down.

"Laurel cheated on you? That's nice Oliver. Because exactly how many times have you cheated on her? Isabel? Sara? McKenna? And your last three secretaries? That girl in Tokyo? The stripper at Verdant last year? How many times Oliver? You didn't think I knew about all of them? Lets face facts and say that even you don't know how many times you've cheated on her. I'm not saying what she did was right, far from it. Especially with your best friend. But as for the cheating part and you feeling sorry for yourself? You have absolutely no right. Because this perfect marriage sham that you have going for the press and everyone around you should have ended years ago Oliver. She may have cheated on you with Tommy, and that really is unfair to you. But you shouldn't have cheated on her for years. I've known you for five years now, you've been married for six Oliver and as far as I know you've been cheating on her for at least four of them. Four years. So yes you can stop with your man pain and pity party and smell the roses." She caught her breath, not in the least bit sorry for once for all the word vomit that had spilled from her lips.

She met his eyes then, his almost feral gaze piercing hers and she matched his intensity with her until she watched as he visibly deflated in front of her. His shoulders sagging as they moved out of the defensive stance that he usually held. He looked like a lost boy whose innocence got taken away before his time. While she never had any illusions about Oliver Queen she knew that life had thrown him one too many curveballs, had pushed too much weight on his shoulders for any one man to bear.

He in turn looked at the woman before him and thought that no matter what she said, life hadn't been fair to him. Because if it was fair he would have met her seven years ago. Her office should have been his first step in his crusade to make his father proud and become the Arrow with some flimsy excuse about a laptop that needed to be fixed or something. If he had met her straight after he had been rescued off Lian Yu seven years ago she would have become his beacon in his fight against those that wronged Starling City. He would have never married Laurel a year after his return. He never wouldn't have turned into this man that cheated on his wife because he couldn't have the one woman he wanted. The woman he had met a year after his disaster of a marriage.

No, life wasn't fair and he had learned to expect that, that and all the jokes that fate played on him. The Gambit. His father dying in his arms. Lian Yu. A.R.G.U.S. Amana Waller. The League of Assassins. Laurel Lance. His mother being murdered before his eyes at the hand of Slade Wilson.

He knew that he had royally fucked up. With his life, Laurel and Felicity. With all the numerous girls he had used in the hopes of getting some relief from his own thoughts.

He knew he had to fix this. Knew that he now had to fix his own wrongs as much as his father's. He just didn't know where to begin.

Yes Laurel had cheated on him, but Felicity was right, he had been cheating on her both mentally and physically on her for years.

The gentle hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts and he was surprised how much his guard was down around her that he didn't even hear her approach.

"It's okay Oliver. You're okay, or at the very least you will be. I'll help you. Digg will help you. And I wasn't joking before when I said we'll get through this together".

**MMMM – I just wanted to do something where Oliver only met Felicity a couple of years after coming back to Starling City. Because I imagine this is exactly where the Lauriver Ship would sink to if Felicity wasn't in the picture in the first season of the show/first year of him being back. But please do let me know your thoughts! **

**Love to all – Stace - XX**


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